To wonder how parents of toddlers manage to look perfectly groomed!

[Anon8604]

Being a complete scruff myself I often notice that other mums at the playground or play groups seem to look a lot smarter than me. I see them chasing around their toddlers with perfectly blow dried hair and a full face of make up (the mums, not the toddlers ) and I can't help wondering how the they're managing it?

If I try to put on make up or blow dry my hair in my toddler's presence it will most likely lead to make up spilled on the floor and me sporting a pair of panda eyes thanks to dodgily applied mascara. My DH looks after DS in the morning while I shower and get dressed but he has to go out to work so I wouldn't expect him to hang around for ages while I do my hair and make up. These two facts combined tend to mean I wear no make up and my idea of doing my hair is to put it up in a ponytail!

So, given that I imagine my circumstances aren't unusual, how are all these other mums managing to look so unreasonably smart while in charge of a small person?

Come out with me some time, worn clothes, hair full of dry shampoo and scraped back, birkenstocks and my acne scars on full display. My life's too short for a face full of slap just to wrangle the kids in the park.

I do have my hair regularly trimmed and dyed, I do like that to look good. For some reason my DDs have become much more conscious of their looks than I am of mine.

No make up. Same 3 outfits in rotation. It was bloody madness

I blowdry my hair at night and put outfit out ready for morning. After breakfast she goes in her cot for 10 minutes (with a book) while I shower, cleanse, moisturise etc. I do my make up in the living room mirror using the mantelpiece as a shelf. It only takes 5 mins to apply eyeliner, CCcream, powder, a touch of bronzer and groom my brows. I wear practical clothes- dark jeans and a simple top, or a plain jersey dress with patterned leggings. I try to match shoes and bag with a silk scarf. Matching colours is the easiest way to look out together. And avoid clashing patterns or things that don't go together.

I'm not perfectly groomed but grooming is part of my night/morning routine.

Oddly when I had one toddler I looked a complete scruff and never had makeup on. I hadn't figured out at that point that I was allowed to put the tv on, I thought people actually listened to that rule that kids aren't slllwed to watch it until they're two....

Now that I have two - and have relaxed my standards a LOT - I wear nicer outfits and makeup even if I'm just at home with them. I do it while they watch telly!

'Never bothered me. If people want to wear make up at playgrounds that's up to them but I would never do that. Mmy worth is bound up in things like my relationships with my family and my work (I work full time) not how much time I might spend in vanity in front of mirrors!'

Actually your tone makes it sounds like it really does bother you! Women should be able to wear or not wear whatever make-up or clothes they like. Unless it was particularly striking it actually wouldn't really occur to me to notice whether someone was wearing make up or not.

I bathe the night before too (love my bubble bath once dd is in bed!), dd gets up at the crack of dawn for now so we have a post-breakfast routine whereby DH spends a bit of time with dd in her room playing & getting her ready, then he goes for a shower while she continues to play. I get ready in the meantime in my room (opposite hers so pop in if she needs anything, but for the most part I get a little bit of me time!

My hair definitely looks less good than it used to pre dd though (thick & curly so just don't have the time) but I just do it properly when I go out somewhere nice these days. Definitely have a leggings and long top uniform look too!

I have four, including a toddler and a baby. I never look groomed, but I just think I'm that sort of person. I have curly/wavy hair. I'm five foot nothing and slightly chubby. I could spend three hours getting ready and I still would not look elegant and groomed. On top of this boobs need to be easily accessible and on the vague occasion that I have made a big effort the baby gets porridge in my hair and I'll spill tea down my top and get jam on my jeans. Oh well, I have other qualities........ I am always clean (well underneath the jam..)

I can just about imagine getting up earlier to do hair and make up if the average night wasn't five hours interrupted sleep but I can't see how people stay that way. No matter how hard I try, avoiding the snotty nosed cuddles and the scrunched clothes from a child going 'me, me', never mind the toothpaste mark's at child's mouth marks, the hair tugging, etc, means that I look a state by the time I got to work.

I wake up when toddler does play for 15/20mins while run bath, wash hair every other day takes 10mins to blow dry, while in bath & washing hair 22mo potters in & out or carries on playing with his toys. Then downstairs for breakfast then get dressed when the risk of being covered in breakie is over. I plan outfits the evening b4 so cuts down of faffing time in morning,

I am gorgeous and my house is a shit hole. So is my car.